John Kay

John Kay (17 June 1704-1779) was a British inventor who was best known for creating the "flying shuttle", a device that allowed for faster weaving. Born in Walmersley, Lancashire, England in 1704, Kay was an apprentice for a hand-loom reed maker, and he invented the flying shuttle in 1733 at the start of the Industrial Revolution. During the 1740s, he also attempted to make new devices, but he would not top his original invention; he died around 1779.